March 21.
Tux reappearance upon to-day's agenda paper of the Resolution, "Phot the Press and public be admitted to the meetings of thi Council," is bardly surprising the light of recent events. The proposal has been made more than once in previous years. On one occasion it was by show of hands, but defeated on a poll; ard this fact alone is enough to prove that a considerable section of the community favours the idea of absolute publicity for Council discussions. Whether that section carries guns enough to win the day we have yet to learn. But the proposal nesds to be considered all the more carefully, because no parallel that will exactly fit the case of Shanghai oan be quoted from elsewhere. When men of our Shanghai world, with the responsibility of public duties on their shoulders, elect to work under rales differing somewhat from those in use in their home lands, it may be taken for granted that there is reason for their action. When thi paraist in the same course through as much as three-score years, there is ground for this further belief, that the reason is sound, and the practice based on it not merely convenient for the executive but of value to the public. It is fifty-seven years since the first Municipal Council succeeded the Works Committee which looked after roads and jetties.
During all those years we are assured that the number of Councillors who have been in favour of throwing open their meetings to the public and the Press might be counted on fewer than the whole'
of the ton digits. Against them, therefore, there must have been majority of something like fifty to one.
Tt must be remembered that Municipal Councils elsewhere desi only with purely municipal matters. Our elect find drainage, road-making, and even education simple when compared with other problems growing out of local environment. Hence it may be conceded that there are solid grounds for a departure from the routine of places differently situated. Here in Shanghai we have the interests, and even the idiosyncrashes, of some twenty foreign nationalities to consider, to say nothing of those of the Chinese, with the result that some of our public problems must partake of the nature of those committed to the care of a Cabinet rather than to an ordinary Municipal Council. Evidently there
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.